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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Prelims of the Landmark quiz in Pune 2011 held earlier this year. Thanks to Dr. Navin Jayakumar for sharing the questions.

2011 will see the official return of an iconic British fictional character as the estate of the Scottish author and physician has approved novelist Anthony Horowitz, the author of stories about teenage spy Alex Rider to write a full-length novel featuring which legend who first appeared in 1887?

If Explorer: Windows; ______:Apple

Which well known dessert was known as “365” during the British Raj because it was served everyday of the year by Indian cooks in the dak bungalows and railway stations?

Which rashi (or constellation) does the Sun move into when Hindus in different parts of India celebrate the harvest festival or Sankranti?

“And the Black Lady goes to…” is a phrase associated with which awards ceremony?

Said half in jest, the term the Marathas use in the even of a rout (as in “he met his Waterloo”) is “Iska to ______ ho gaya”. The term has its origins in the Marathas worst defeat in battle that took place 250 years ago. Fill in the blank.

The G4 or BASIC countries, the rising economic giants of the 21st century, first committed to act jointly at the Copenhagen Summit in 2009, followed by technological and economic cooperation. Brazil, India and China are three of the four countries. Name the fourth.

One of the catchiest dialogues of Bollywood 2010 was “Beta hoon, koi ___________ nahin” from Udaan. Fill in the blanks.

9.Which city is the home of the world's largest and most complex scientific instrument ever built?

What six-letter “biology” word is also used by the automobile industry to describe vehicles capable of using more than one fuel/power source?

This express train service connects Rajasthan's Munabao town to Sindh's Khokrapar? The link was destroyed during the 1965 Indo-Pak War but was revived after 41 years in 2006. The train is thus the oldest and the newest train service between the two countries and is named after the region (common to both countries) through which much of the train passes. What is its name?

12.The expression "robbing Peter to pay Paul" originates from a historical incident when money meant for a church dedicated to St. Peter was diverted to one dedicated to St. Paul. If the "Paul" in the phrase refers to St. Paul's Cathedral in London, which famous landmark does the "Peter" refer to?

India became only the sixth country in the world to develop strategic undersea missiles when in January 2010 it launched the K-4 missile – a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with an eventual range of 3,500 km. What does the letter “K” stand for?

According to its manufacturer, this product was registered in 1789 making it the oldest continuously existing brand in the world. It was the first transparent product of its kind. A recent attempt to change its formulation was resisted by a Facebook campaign forcing a return of sorts to the classic original. What product is this?

In women’s tennis history, only three doubles teams have held all the four Grand Slams at the same time. Gigi Fernandez – Natasha Zvereva held this honour between1992-93. Which pairs preceded and succeeded them?

16.The name given to Anatolia (Asia Minor) by the Greeks suggests an architectural style and was also the origin of a form of traditional medicine practiced in South Asia that was believed to have been based on the teachings of the Hippocrates, the father of medicine. Name (a) the style of architecture (b) the form of medicine.

18.Who are the only two surviving members of the original line-up of the Beatles?

The element with the lowest melting point is helium (-2720C) while carbon has the highest (35000C). Which metal has the highest melting point (34100C; the secong element after carbon) a feature that is put to everyday use?

Ramachandra Guha's new book features nineteen Indians who made an impact on the making of our nation (for good or bad) through their writings and speeches. There are two women in this list. (a) a Marathi feminist activist who protested patriarchy and caste in 19th century India and is known for her 1882 work, Stri Purush Tulana ("A Comparison Between Women and Men"), often considered the first modern Indian feminist text. (b) A Gandhian and freedom fighter whose vision resulted in the creation of numerous cultural institutions - National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and The Crafts Council of India, Name (a) and (b).

This American company who pioneered arcade games wanted a Japanese-sounding name for itself. It therefore chose a term from the ancient board game Go that described a position where an opponent's stones are in danger of being captured, analogous to “check” in chess. What word is this?

22.Britt Reid is a newspaper publisher by day. What is his identity at night?

23.There were four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. The four Games were: Pythian Games - in honour of Apollo; Nemean Games - in honour of Zeus; Isthmian Games - in honour of Poseidon; and Olympic Games - the most important and prestigious of the Games. In whose honour were the Olympics held?

In 1954 the famous French director Francois Truffaut coined a term to describe a complete director who both wrote and directed a film. What term is this?

Who was the author of The History of the War of Independence (published in Marathi in 1909) which was the first to present a non-colonial account of the 1857 events that was described as the Sepoy Mutiny?

Which popular website claims to have been founded by "Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and start-up company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa"?

Which is the world’s oldest meteroic crater and the only one formed in basalt rock?

There are three sets of letters on the standard typewriter and computer keyboards which are in alphabetical order, reading left to right. One set is O-P. Which are the two 3-letter sets ?

This search engine is going to introduce a new image recognition application whereby it is possible to search for information based on pictures (eg a landmark or a product barcode) taken by any handheld device. The two words that make up its name sound almost the same. Name this application.

Desalination plants work by forcing salty water through a fine membrane. Dense brine is left behind and fresh water gets through. What is this process called?

VISUAL:The visual shows the bust of a warrior whose sacrifice led to the naming of the fort where this is found. Who is he and what was the original name of the fort?

VISUAL: On what occasion was this photograph taken?

VISUAL: Name this bridge.

VISUAL: What “train” would you associate this T-Shirt and what are the missing words?

TRACK 01: AUDIO: (Song: Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.by Edith Piaf) Name the two films (a) A 2007 biopic of the singer featuring actorX (b) The song plays a key plot element in the 2010 film that also starred X.

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